Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-01
THE "WEsrERN REsERyE.y
Some Of the Educational Results OF Open
ing 1.-THE Northwest to Civilization"

Some OF the Educational Results OF Open
ing "the Northwest to Civilization"
At the recent National Educational Con-
vention held in Chicago, B. A. Hinsdale,
Ph. D., Of Cleveland, Ohio, delivered a
lecture upon the Educational Influence
Of the Ordinance of 1887" of which the
following is an abstract;
/. The first cycle of United States his
tory began with the planting of the Eng
lish race on the Atlantic slope. between the
second, with the planting of the Anglo
American race in the Mississippi valley.
The first was the work of the early years of
the seventeenth century; the second began
before the Revolution, but was not assured
until the Commissioners of the United
States at Paris, in 1882, secured the Mis-
sissippi river for western boundary, thus
~ excluding the Englishman and the
Spaniard from the eastern halfof the great
valley, and 70 securing the ascendency of
the Republic on the Western continent,
/ 2. The opening of the West Of One hun
dred years ago to civilization was followed
by many most far-reaohing results. The
West is Justly chargesble with many of
| the crude theories and practices that dis
figure our civilization and blot our history !;
but she has also contributed to that civih-
cation many invaluable elements-cour-
age, enterprise, freedom from undue con-
versation, superiority to class influences,
large views, faith in the destiny of the Re
public, and, above all, faith in the destiny
of the West herself The East introduced
the word continental in revolutionary
times, but the West has taught the East it,
meaning.
3. The ordinance of 1877 opened the
Northwest to the people of the old States.
New England, the old Middle States, the
old South, all sent of their population to
possess and fill it. The effects of Western
influence are nowhere more plainly marked
than in the history of the New Englanders
in the old Northwest Territory-the Van
KEGS of the West. BY narrowing the field
of view we shall deepen the impression.
4. The Western cessions left the West
ern Reserve in the hands of Connecticut.
This is bounded on the north by Lake
Erie, on the east by Pennsylvania, on the
south by parallel 40 north, and on the west
by meridian 100 miles west the western
boundnfy of Pennsylvania. 1t contains
somewhat more than 5000 square miles of
land. No other equal block of territory
outside of New England ever had SO pure
a New England population. The people
who came to the Reserve early in the
century brought their New England quail
tiles with them, including fair share of
their conservatism; but they soon began to
do things in their new home that, in the
old home, they never would have dreamed
of doing. Forty years ago the Western
Reserve had more definite anti-slavery
character than any other equal extent of
territory in the United States The old
ecclesiastical and theological systems were
greatly modified. Men on whom the shad-
ows Of Yale and Harvard had fallen tried
at Oberlin the first collegiate co-educa-
tional experiment ever attempted. Intel
lectual and moral life were wonderfully
quickened. The whole Reserve became a
seed bed of new ideas, The southern shore
of Lake Erie has never been the northern
shore of Long Island Sound. New Con-
necticut "a not old Connecticut The old
charges of "isns" and "hobby-riding" can
not, perhaps, be wholly denied; but, on
the whole, the people have marvelously
kept their balance, and have done great
work for themselves and the whole country